Headstone Lane News & Off License food hygiene rating

The rating: 3 - Generally satisfactory

The rating dates from 12 December 2025, 6 months ago. Councils typically re-inspect higher-risk businesses every six months to two years, with well-run, low-risk places visited least often, so this is a normal gap.

Address: 255 Long Elmes, Harrow, HA3 6LE

How it compares in Harrow

In Harrow, 61% of rated places manage a 5, so Headstone Lane News & Off License sits behind roughly 1,309 nearby businesses. 9% of the borough shares its 3.

Every rated food business in Harrow

5 out of 5		951	61%
4 out of 5		358	23%
3 out of 5		147	9%	← Headstone Lane News & Off License
2 out of 5		63	4%
1 out of 5		27	2%
0 out of 5		5	<1%

A further 332 businesses in the area are awaiting inspection or exempt, so are not counted above.

What the inspector found

• Hygienic food handling Generally satisfactory
• Cleanliness & condition of the building Good
• How well they manage food safety Generally satisfactory

An inspection scores three things: how food is handled, the physical condition of the premises, and how much the inspector trusts management to keep standards up. At Headstone Lane News & Off License none of the three raised a concern, the overall rating is only ever as strong as its weakest area, so a clean sweep is what produces a high score.

Understanding this rating

• What does a 0 food hygiene rating mean? A 0 means the inspector found serious problems and urgent improvement is necessary. It is the lowest rating the scheme gives, but it is not a closure order, and a business with a 0 can, and usually does, keep trading while it puts things right.
• Does a low hygiene rating mean the food is unsafe? A low rating tells you that an inspector found problems on a particular day. It is not a measurement of the food, it is not a prediction, and it is not a verdict on whether you will get ill. It is the best single signal a member of the public has, and it is a snapshot.
• Does a business have to display its hygiene rating? It depends where you are. In Wales and Northern Ireland a food business must display its rating where you can read it before you go in. In England it is voluntary, a business there can legally show you nothing.

More food hygiene ratings near here

Harrow inspects and rates 1,883 food businesses across its whole area. See every food hygiene rating in Harrow →

The official record is held by the council: http://www.harrow.gov.uk